Article transfer mechanism



June- 16, 1959 HE. ENGLESON: RE'IIAL 2,890,556 I ,ARTIIZCLE TRANSFER MECHANISM I -3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1955 INVEIQTORS.

HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK WMZMMnQvt ATT'YS June 16, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON EI'AL 5 ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM- Filed Dec. 15, 1955 R 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mmvrons; HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK Patented June 16, 1955 lice ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM Harry E. Engleson, Chicago, and Elmer D. Sramek, 'Cicero, 11]., assignors to F. B. Redington Co., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application December 15, 1955, Serial No. 553,283 9 Claims. (Cl. 53251) This invention relates to a machine or device for gathering articles and arranging the same in a predetermined formation and arrangement, the gathered articles being conveyed for delivery to a predetermined position for insertion into containers or cartons.

. The invention comprises, in general, a device, or machine, which feeds a plurality of articles to a predetermined position where they are then gathered and moved to a predetermined position, the articles being arranged in spaced rows, there being a plurality of articles arranged end-to-end in each row. The articles, so arranged, are transported by means of an intermittently movable bucket conveyer, which comprises adjacently arranged buckets which are designed and constructed to include a section thereof to support a predetermined number of rows of articles, and a second section to carry containers in which the articles are to be packed.

An important object of the invention is the provision of new and improved means for gathering a plurality of articles in each of several adjacently spaced rows, and arranging the plurality of articles of a group of rows into position for insertion in alined trays or shelves of the adjacent buckets of a bucket conveyer, each bucket being provided with means for supporting a carton into which the articles are to be inserted.

Another object consists in the provision of a new and improved bucket conveyer embodying a plurality of spaced apart buckets operably connected to an intermittently operated chain, each bucket comprising a supporting shelf to support a plurality of rows of articles to be cartoned, and a second shelf to support a carton for receiving the articles on the article supporting shelf of the bucket.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout the progress of the specification which is to follow.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a certain selected embodiment of the invention, and the views therein are as follows.

"Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of a part of the machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a part of the machine comprising a gathering device and an intermediate article supporting tray, and showing the manner in which articles are to be arranged in end-to-end relationship and in spaced apart rows;

Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional view showing the manner in which the gathered articles are arranged for transportation to the article receiving tray on the bucket;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing certain parts of the machine arranged in an advanced position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a further advancement of the parts and the application of the articles on a bucket of a bucket conveyer;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective exploded view of one of the buckets and the means for driving the bucket con veyer; and A Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view showing means for operating certain supporting bars for maintaining the articles in position and for preventing the same from being axially shifted.

The particular construction, herein shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, comprises a machine for dispensing articles which are gathered in a predetermined formation and then shifted in various positions onto buckets of a bucket conveyer, the articles on the conveyer buckets being inserted into containers also carried by the buckets of the bucket conveyer. The articles to be gathered, conveyed and packaged may be any type of articles for which the machine is adapted, but are herein specifically shown as being .22 caliber rifle cartridges. Therefore, the machine will be described for accommodating .22 caliber rifle cartridges, although, of course, other articles are adapted to be used in connection with a machine of the type herein shown and described.

The machine 1, Fig. 1, comprises a magazine 2 which includes a plurality of longitudinal vertically arranged tubes 3, there being two rows 4 and 5 specifically shown. Each row 4 and 5 of the tubes 3 accommodates cartridges arranged in vertical end-to-end position for movement to a horizontal position by means, not shown, and not constituting a part of the present invention. The cartridges from the rows 4 and 5 are arranged on a gathering plate or tray 6, Fig. 2, which comprises seven grooved areas 7, each containing four cartridges 8, whereby twenty-eight cartridges will be arranged in seven longitudinal rows arranged in groups of four in each groove. In actual practice, the cartridges of each row have their ends facing in opposite directions, whereby one row has the lead facingforward while the next adjacent row has the lead facing in the other direction in the manner shown in Fig. 2.

An intermediate tray or plate 9, Figs. 1 to 5, is arranged adjacent the gathering plate or tray 6, the tray 9 alsobeing provided with seven grooves, indicated'at 10, Fig. 2, each groove 10 receiving four cartridges 8. The cartridges 8 are moved from the gathering plate or device 6 and placed in the grooves 10 of the intermediate tray 9 in groups of four arranged longitudinally in seven rows. Theintermediate grooved trays 9 are arranged at a predetermined horizontal elevation for conveying and transferring to grooved plates 11, Figs. 3 to 5, carried by buckets 12 of a bucket conveyer 13, Fig. 6.

The bucket conveyer 13 is adapted to be operated intermittently by means of claims 14, 14 engaging spaced driven sprockets 15, 15. The chains 14 are positioned opposite each other and are driven intermittently by the sprockets 15 which are mounted on a sprocket driving shaft 16, Fig. 6, so that the buckets 12, which are arranged in close relationship, will be intermittently driven by the chains 14.

Each bucket 12, Figs. 3 to 6, includes the cartridge tray 11 and a carton supporting member 17, the tray 11 being provided with seven grooves 18, Fig. 6, to receive four cartridges the same as the intermediate tray 9, Figs. 1 and 3 to 6. The cartridge tray 11 on each bucket 12 is at an elevation higher than the tray 9 and, therefore, the seven rows, each containing four cartridges, are to be transported from the lower position on the intermediate tray 9 to a higher position on the tray 11 of the buckets 12, as shown in Fig. 3. The means for transferring or conveying the cartridges from the intermediate tray 9 to the bucket tray 11 comprises an elevator tray 19 carried by a vertical standard 20 which is arranged between the grooved trays or plates 9 and 11, Figs. 3 to 6.

The elevator tray 19 is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly to permit cartridges to be shifted from the position shown at the left, Fig. 3, to the position shown at the right, Fig. 5. The movement of the elevator tray 19 is accomplished by means (not shown) but operated from a moving part of the machine so that there will be correlated movement between the longitudinal conveying movement of the buckets 12 with the vertical elevating movement of the elevator tray 19.

Cartridges 8, therefore, are first placed in the magazine 2 which comprises the rows 4 and 5 of the vertical tubes 3, and then are moved in a horizontal plane to the gathering plate 6, Fig. 2. The cartridges are then shifted into the grooves 7 of the intermediate stationary plate 9, Fig. 2. The cartridges are then shifted from the stationary plate 9 to the bucket plate 11 by means of the elevator 20. The shifting of the cartridges 8 from the plate 9 to the elevator forms no part of the present invention. However, the shifting of the cartridges 8 from the elevator tray 19 to the bucket tray 11 is accomplished by a horizontal shifting device 21, Figs. 1 and 3 to 5.

The horizontal cartridge shifting device 21 comprises spaced fingers 22 formed by arranging cutouts in a plate 23, Figs. 1 and 3 to 5, which is fastened to the bottom of spaced posts 24. The fingers 22 are as wide as the space between the defining side walls 25 of the trays 11 on the buckets 12, Fig. 6. Therefore, when the pusher or shifting device 21 operates, all seven rows of four cartridges in each row will be pushed simultaneously from the elevator tray 19 onto the bucket tray 11 after the elevator tray is in the same plane as the tray 11. The elevator tray 19 operates in timed relationship with the horizontal movement of a cartridge tray 11 on a bucket 12 so that all of the cartridges 8 on the tray 19 will be in proper alinement, and be received in their proper grooves 18. The operation of the parts is such that the grooves on the intermediate stationary tray 9 will be in alinement with the grooves on the elevator tray, and when the elevator tray rises to its elevated position, the grooves on the elevator tray will be in alinement and in the same plane as the grooves 18 in the bucket tray 11.

Abutment means 26, Figs. 1 and 7 is arranged between the adjacent edges of the tray 19 of the elevator 20 and the cartridge bucket conveyer tray 11, so that when the cartridges are being pushed from the intermediate tray 9 onto the tray 19 of the elevator 20, they will be limited in their forward movement and be prevented from extending beyond the forward edge and contacting the moving conveyor 13.

The abutment means 26, Fig. 7, comprises a thin bar rod or strip 27 arranged between the right-hand end of the elevator tray 19, Figs. 3 to 5, and the left-hand end of the bucket tray 11, thus forming an aliner strip for preventing the cartridges 8 from being pushed beyond the edge of the elevator tray. The cartridges, therefore, are prevented from coming in contact with the bucket tray 11 until the precise moment when they are to be shifted from the elevator tray onto the bucket tray 11. The aliner strip or bar 27, Fig. 7, is mounted on a vertical reciprocating bar or plate 28 which is arranged be tween spaced angle members fixed to a rigid part of the frame of the machine 1. The lower end of the bar 28 carries a roller 29 which is received in a cam way 30 of a cam wheel 31.

The cam wheel 31, Fig. 7, is fixed to a revolving shaft 32 which is rotated in proper timed relationship with respect to the translation of the conveyor 13 and the elevator 20, whereby the aliner member 27 is moved upwardly and downwardly at the precise proper time that the elevator plate 19 arn'ves in the same horizontal plane as the bucket conveyor cartridge tray 11, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Therefore, the aliner 27, operating in timed relation with the continuously moving conveyor 13 and the elevator 20, will move upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3, so as to prevent cartridges 8 moving onto the elevator 20 from projecting beyond the righthand edge of the cartridge tray 19. After the strip is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the elevator 20 will rise upwardly bringing the elevator plate 19 in alinement and in the same horizontal plane as the bucket plate 11. When the elevator 20 has elevated its tray 19 to position in the same plane as the bucket plate 11, the aliner strip 27 will be caused to move downwardly a certain extent, as shown in Fig. 4, to permit the cartridges 8 to be ejected from the platet 19 by the fingers 22 of the shifting device 28 and pushed onto the bucket plate 11, Fig. 5. The elevator plate 19 then returns downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 5, whereupon the cycle will be completed. The strip 27 then will return upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3, and the cycles are repeated.

The shifting or pushing device 21, Fig. l, is operated forwardly and rearwardly by a cross bar 33 to which end plates 34, 34 on each side are slidingly mounted in slide guides 35, 35. A crank arm 36, Fig. l, is operated by an operating element of the machine and, therefore, is correlated with the upward and downward movement of the elevator 20 and the movement of the conveyer 13. The parts are thus correlated so that the operation of the shifting device 21 will move the fingers 22 to the various positions, as shown in Fig. 5, while the elevator 20 and the bucket plate 11 are in their proper cooperative positions.

The arrangement and construction of the invention so far described comprises a device for arranging the seven rows of cartridges on a stationary plate and then causing the cartridges of each of the seven rows to be applied to a vertically movable elevator whereupon the elevator is raised to the same plane as the bucket plate 11. The operation of the elevator 20, the operation of the aliner strip 27, and the operation of the shifting or pushing device 21 are all operated in proper timed relation so that cartridges may be shifted from the elevator onto the intermittently operated conveyer 13. The various parts of the machine are so correlated to bring the steps of the operation in proper sequence so that when the elevator has reached the top of its upward movement and comes to rest for discharging the cartridges by the pushing device 21, the intermittently operated conveyer 13 will rest momentarily to permit the cartridges to be pushed from the elevator plate 19 onto the stationary bucket plate 11 which is temporarily stationary at that time.

An important feature of the present invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the buckets 12 which are adjacently positioned with respect to each other, and which are intermittently operated by the drive chains 14.

Each bucket 12 comprises a ledge or pad 37, Fig. 6, upon which the cartridge receiving plate or tray 11 is mounted. The tray 11, however, may be made integral with the pad 37, if preferred, but in actual practice, it has been found desirable to make the tray 11 a separate piece or unit, as shown in Fig. 6, and then secure it by rivets or the like to the pad 37.

In arranging the cartridges for carton inserting purposes, it is desirable that a carton support be provided on the bucket immediately adjacent the article receiving plate 11, so that a carton may be arranged in as close proximity as possible to the articles to be cartoned. It is also desirable that there be no variance or shiftable relative movement between the tray 11 and the carton supporting tray 17. Should the tray 11 be mounted on one conveying element, and the carton supporting tray 17 be mounted on a different conveying element, there is likelihood that there may be a certain amount of movement of one member with respect to the other. Therefore, it has been found advantageous that a single bucket 12 be provided to accommodate both the cartridge tray 11 and the carton supporting member or tray 17. The two elements 11 and 17, therefore,

are rigidly connected together and, as shown in Fig. 6, comprise a single casing whereby the tray pad 37 and the carton tray 17 are integrally connected together by means of the integral bars or rods 38, 38, Fig. 6. The bucket 12 is provided on each of its outward surfaces with outwardly extending pins 39 which pass through the links of the chains 14, 14, the chains 14 being preferably of the roller chain type, as shown in Fig. 6. Each bucket 12, therefore, is connected at two points on each end to a chain 14. v This arrangement positively prevents any shifting of the support 17 with respect to the tray 11 in any direction. The trays 11 and 17, therefore, will always be in relative proper position with respect to each other.

The carton supporting member 17, Fig. 6, may be provided with integral supporting guides 40, and one end of the tray 11 adjacent the carton support 17 may be provided with beveled surfaces 41, 41 so as to permit side flaps on a carton to be spread apart at an open end of the carton so as to prevent any interference of those carton flaps with the cartridges as the cartridges are being inserted into the container.

A .plate 42 is arranged above the elevator tray 19 so that articles on the elevator tray 19 will be prevented from being shifted vertically during the transfer of articles onto the bucket tray 11 of a bucket 12. The plate 42 may be made of plastic or any suitable material, and is provided with cutouts 43, Figs. 3 to 5, to accommodate the posts 24 as the shifting mechanism 21 is moved to the various positions and the elevator is operated, as shown in Figs. 3 to 5.

The type of carton, and the manner of inserting the container onto the carton support 17 of the bucket 12, is shown and disclosed in applicants co-pending application, Serial No. 556,118, filed December 29, 1955.

The present invention comprises a new and improved conveying and transporting mechanism whereby an elevator brings articles from a predetermined position and raises them to another predetermined position, and later causes rows of articles to be inserted on a bucket tray immediately adjacent a carton tray, the two said trays being integrally connected together and movable as a unit.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. Article transfer mechanism comprising a first article tray located in a first plane and receiving a plurality of separate rows of articles arranged in end-to-end relation, an endless conveyer having a plurality of spaced apart hingedly connected buckets, means to operate said conveyor, an article receiving bucket tray on each bucket located in a second plane, an elevator tray juxtaposed between the first tray and the bucket tray and adapted to receive the articles from said first tray in the plane of the first tray, means to move the elevator tray from the first plane to the second plane, a pusher member for pushing articles from the elevator tray onto the bucket tray when the elevator tray has moved from the first plane to said second plane and a bucket tray has been moved to a position opposite the elevator tray, and an aliner strip arranged between the elevator tray and the bucket tray, and means to operate said aliner strip in timed relation with the movement of the pusher member.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that the pusher member pushes rows of articles from the elevator tray onto the bucket tray when the elevator tray is in the same plane thereof and the bucket tray is stationary, and characterized further in that the aliner strip has moved out of the path of the articles being moved by the pusher member from the elevator tray onto the bucket tray.

3. An article transfer and conveying machine comprising a first tray having a plurality of grooves to receive a plurality of articles arranged in end-to-end relation in each groove, said tray being located in a predetermined first plane, a grooved second tray also having grooves to receive articles in end-to-end relation, said second tray being located in a predetermined second plane, a grooved elevator tray juxtaposed between said first and second trays and adapted to receive the articles from said first tray in said first predetermined plane, a bucket conveyer having a plurality of interconnected buckets, each bucket supporting said second grooved tray, means to operate said conveyer, means to move said elevator tray between the first and second planes, and a pusher means for pushing articles from the grooves in the elevator tray into the grooves in the second tray when the elevator tray is in the same plane 'as the second tray and the second tray is alined with the elevator tray.

4. An article transfer and conveying machine comprising a first tray having a plurality of grooves to receive a plurality of articles arranged in end-to-end relation in each groove, said tray being located in a predetermined first plane, a grooved second tray also having grooves to receive articles in end-to-end relation, said second tray being located in a predetermined second plane, a grooved elevator tray juxtaposed between said first and second trays and adapted to receive the articles from said first tray in said first predetermined plane, a bucket conveyor having a plurality of interconnected buckets, each bucket supporting said second grooved tray, means to operate said conveyer, means to move said elevator tray between the first and second planes, pusher means for pushing articles from the grooves in the elevator tray into the grooves in the second tray when the elevator tray is in the same plane as the second tray and the second tray is alined with the elevator tray, a guide aliner strip arranged between the elevator tray to aline the articles on the elevator tray and to prevent articles from being pushed prematurely from the elevator tray, and means to shift the aliner strip to permit articles to be shifted from the grooves in the elevator tray into the grooves in the second tray.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 characterized in that the pusher means, the elevator tray, the aliner strip and the second tray arecorrelated to operate in proper timed relation.

6. A device as set forth in claim 4 characterized in that the elevator tray reciprocates vertically, the pusher means reciprocates horizontally, the aliner strip reciprocates vertically, and the bucket conveyer is unidirectional and moves in a horizontal plane.

7. An article transfer and conveying machine comprising a first tray having a plurality of grooves to receive a plurality of articles arranged in end-to-end relation in each groove, said tray being located in a predetermined first plane, a grooved second tray also having grooves to receive articles in end-to-end relation, said second tray being located in a predetermined second plane, a grooved elevator tray juxtaposed between said first and second trays and adapted to receive the articles from said first tray in said first predetermined plane, a bucket conveyor having a plurality of interconnected buckets, each bucket supporting said second grooved tray, means to operate said conveyer, means to move said elevator tray between the first and second planes, pusher means for pushing articles from the grooves in the elevator tray into the grooves in the second tray when the elevator tray is in the same plane as the second tray and the second tray is alined with the elevator tray, a guide aliner strip arranged between the elevator tray to aline the articles on the elevator tray and to prevent articles from being pushed prematurely from the elevator tray, means to shift the aliner strip to permit articles to be shifted from the grooves in the elevator tray into the grooves in the second tray, and a carton support arranged in the same plane as the second tray and in alinement with the second tray whereby articles in the grooves in the second tray may be inserted into a carton on the carton support.

8. An article transfer and conveying machine comprising an intermittently operating conveyer made up of a plurality of hingedly connected buckets, an article receiving tray on each bucket, means for transferring a plurality of articles onto the tray, means to operate the conveyer, and a carton support on each bucket adjacent the tray, said support being in alinement with the tray and in the same plane thereof, whereby articles may be inserted in a carton on the carton support, said tray having tapered ends on the sides thereof adjacent the carton support.

9. In a packaging machine having an intermittently moving conveyer with a plurality of buckets thereon and with each bucket having a plurality of parallel grooves arranged perpendicularly to the direction of motion of the conveyer, apparatus for loading each of the buckets of the conveyer with a predetermined number of articles, said apparatus comprising a movable support, a tray mounted on the support and positioned adjacent to the conveyer, said tray having a plurality of sections, each section of'the tray having a plurality of parallel grooves corresponding in number and in dimensions to the grooves of the conveyer buckets, said support being operable to move'the tray alternately to a lowered position and alternately to a raised position, means aligned with the tray when in the lowered position for filling the grooves of each section with the predetermined number of articles to be loaded into each bucket, and a pusher member mounted to move in spaced relation over the sections of the tray when the tray is in the raised position, said pusher member being operable to push the articles from the grooves of the tray sections into the grooves of the buckets as the 'conveyer rests between the intermittent movements thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,326,187 Donnelly Dec. 30, 1919 2,440,866 Malhiot May 4, 1948 2,678,151 Geisler May 11, 1954 

